Space division multiple access for wireless LAN, and channel estimation for the same

ABSTRACT

A method of transmitting data in a wireless local access network, the method comprising: transmitting, by an access point, a downlink management frame to a plurality of recipients, the downlink management frame including information about a group address indicating a station group to which the plurality of recipients belongs; transmitting, by the access point, a data frame to the plurality of recipients, the data frame including the group address and a plurality of Aggregate-Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Units (A-MPDUs) for the plurality of recipients, wherein each of the plurality of A-MPDUs includes at least one MPDU for a corresponding one of the plurality of recipients, and wherein each of the plurality of A-MPDUs further includes zero or more padding bits so that all of the plurality of A-MPDUs have the same transmission time corresponding to a transmission time of a longest A-MPDU among the plurality of A-MPDUs.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a Continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/139,168 filed on Jun. 10, 2011, which is filed as theNational Phase of PCT/KR2009/007435 filed on Dec. 11, 2009, which claimsthe benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Korean Patent Application No.10-2008-0126488 filed on Dec. 12, 2008, all of which are herebyexpressly incorporated by reference into the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wireless local area network (WLAN),and more particularly, to multiple access and channel estimation in theWLAN.

Discussion of the Related Art

With the advancement of information communication technologies, variouswireless communication technologies have recently been developed. Amongthe wireless communication technologies, a wireless local area network(WLAN) is a technology whereby Internet access is possible in a wirelessfashion in homes or businesses or in a region providing a specificservice by using a portable terminal such as a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a portable multimedia player (PMP),etc.

Ever since the institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE)802, i.e., a standardization organization for WLAN technologies, wasestablished in February 1980, many standardization works have beenconducted. In the initial WLAN technology, a frequency of 2.4 GHz wasused according to the IEEE 802.11 to support a data rate of 1 to 2 Mbpsby using frequency hopping, spread spectrum, infrared communication,etc. Recently, the WLAN technology can support a data rate of up to 54Mbps by using orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM). Inaddition, the IEEE 802.11 is developing or commercializing standards ofvarious technologies such as quality of service (QoS) improvement,access point protocol compatibility, security enhancement, radioresource measurement, wireless access in vehicular environments, fastroaming, mesh networks, inter-working with external networks, wirelessnetwork management, etc.

In the IEEE 802.11, the IEEE 802.11 b supports a data rate of up to 11Mbps by using a frequency band of 2.4 GHz. The IEEE 802.11acommercialized after the IEEE 802.11b uses a frequency band of 5 GHzinstead of the frequency band of 2.4 GHz and thus significantly reducesinfluence of interference in comparison with the very congestedfrequency band of 2.4 GHz. In addition, the IEEE 802.11a has improvedthe data rate to up to 54 Mbps by using the OFDM technology.Disadvantageously, however, the IEEE 802.11a has a shorter communicationdistance than the IEEE 802.11b. Similarly to the IEEE 802.11b, the IEEE802.11g implements the data rate of up to 54 Mbps by using the frequencyband of 2.4 GHz. Due to its backward compatibility, the IEEE 802.11g isdrawing attention, and is advantageous over the IEEE 802.11a in terms ofthe communication distance.

The IEEE 802.11n is a technical standard relatively recently introducedto overcome a limited data rate which has been considered as a drawbackin the WLAN. The IEEE 802.11n is devised to increase network speed andreliability and to extend an operational distance of a wireless network.More specifically, the IEEE 802.11n supports a high throughput (HT),i.e., a data processing rate of up to 540 Mbps or higher, and is basedon a multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) technique which usesmultiple antennas in both a transmitter and a receiver to minimize atransmission error and to optimize a data rate. In addition, thisstandard may use a coding scheme which transmits several duplicatecopies to increase data reliability and also may use the OFDM to supporta higher data rate.

With the widespread use of the WLAN and the diversification ofapplications using the WLAN, there is a recent demand for a new WLANsystem to support a higher throughput than a data processing ratesupported by the IEEE 802.11n. A very high throughput (VHT) WLAN systemis one of IEEE 802.11 WLAN systems which have recently been proposed tosupport a data processing rate of 1 Gbps or higher. The VHT system isnamed arbitrarily. To provide a throughput of 1 Gbps or higher, afeasibility test is currently being conducted for the VHT system using4×4 MIMO and a channel bandwidth of 80 MHz. At present, in order for theVHT WLAN system to achieve an aggregated throughput of 1Gbps, the use ofa spatial division multiple access (SDMA) scheme is being activelyresearched as a channel access scheme together with the use of a channelbandwidth of 80 MHz or higher.

The conventional channel access mechanism used in the IEEE 802.11n WLANsystem or other WLAN systems cannot be directly used as a channel accessmechanism of a VHT WLAN system for providing a throughput of 1 Gbps orhigher. This is because a channel bandwidth used by the VHT WLAN systemis at least 80 MHz since the conventional WLAN system operates under thepremise of using a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz or 40 MHz which is toonarrow to achieve the throughput of 1 Gbps or higher in a service accesspoint (SAP).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a channel access method and apparatuscapable of setting an aggregated throughput to 1 Gbps or higher in awireless local area network (WLAN).

The present invention also provides a method and apparatus capable ofperforming channel estimation concurrently for a plurality of stationsin a WLAN.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided achannel access method in a wireless local area network (WLAN). Afrequency division multiple access technique and a space divisionmultiple access technique based on competition are used together in thismethod.

In the aforementioned aspect of the present invention, the channelaccess procedure may include: a competition period for estimatingchannel characteristics for a plurality of very high throughput (VHT)stations and transmitting, to the plurality of VHT stations, downlinkschedule information or uplink schedule information based on theestimated channel characteristics; and a data transmission period forperforming downlink transmission or uplink transmission with respect toall or some of the plurality of VHT stations in accordance with thedownlink schedule information or the uplink schedule information.

In addition, the competition period may include a channel estimationperiod for estimating a channel characteristic for each of the pluralityof VHT stations by exchanging a specific message with respect to each ofthe plurality of VHT stations. The exchanged message may be a request tosend (RTS)/clear to send (CTS) frame, a null data/acknowledgement (ACK)frame, or a channel estimation request/response frame.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda channel estimation method in a WLAN system. The method includes:transmitting for a plurality of VHT stations a request message includinginformation on VHT stations requiring channel estimation and informationon a sub-channel allocated for each of the VHT stations as a message forrequesting channel through a full frequency bandwidth of the WLANsystem; and receiving a response message including informationindicating a channel estimation result from each of the plurality of VHTstations through a sub-channel allocated to the request message.

According to the present invention, a channel characteristic is firstestimated for downlink/uplink transmission by applying acontention-based spatial division multiple access (SDMA)/frequencydivision multiplex (FDM) scheme, and concurrent channel access of aplurality of very high throughput (VHT) stations (STAs) is allowed bycreating downlink schedule or uplink schedule on the basis of theestimated channel characteristic, thereby being able to effectively useradio resources. In addition, a request message for channel estimationis transmitted by using a full frequency bandwidth of a system whenestimating the channel characteristic, and a response message thereof isreceived through a sub-channel for each VHT STA, thereby being able todecrease overhead caused by channel estimation for the plurality of VHTSTAs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an exemplary structure of a wirelesslocal access network (WLAN) system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a spatial divisionmultiple access (SDMA)-based very high through (VHT) WLAN system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a sequential channelestimation procedure in a VHT WLAN system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a parallel channel estimationprocedure in a VHT WLAN system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a format of a channel estimation requestframe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an exemplary format of a channel estimationrecipient set information element included in a channel estimationrequest frame of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a format of a channel estimation responseframe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows an example of several methods using an 80 MHz channel.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary procedure in a downlink phaseduring an SDMA procedure according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing concurrent data transmission to a pluralityof VHT stations (STAs) on the basis of an SDMA/frequency divisionmultiplex (FDM) scheme according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an exemplary procedure in an uplink phaseduring an SDMA procedure according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication system forimplementing an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an exemplary structure of a wirelesslocal access network (WLAN) system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The WLAN system includes one or more basis servicesets (BSSs). The BSS is a set of stations (STAs) which are successfullysynchronized to communicate with one another, and is not a conceptindicating a specific region. The WLAN system to which the embodiment ofthe present invention is applicable is a very high throughput (VHT) WLANsystem that supports a super high-speed data processing of 1 GHz orhigher in a medium access control (MAC) service access point (SAP). ABSS in the VHT system is referred to as a VHT BSS.

The VHT BSS can be classified into an infrastructure BSS and anindependent BSS (IBSS). The infrastructure BSS is shown in FIG. 1.Infrastructure BSSs (i.e., BSS1 and BSS2) include one or more non-accesspoint (AP) STAs (i.e., Non-AP STA1, Non-AP STA3, and Non-AP STA4) whichare STAs providing a distribution service, APs (i.e., AP STA1 and APSTA2) which are STAs providing a distribution service, and adistribution system (DS) connecting the plurality of APs (i.e., AP STA1and AP STA2). In the infrastructure BSS, the AP STA manages the non-APSTAs of the BSS.

On the other hand, the IBSS is a BSS operating in an ad-hoc mode. Sincethe IBSS does not include the VHT STA, a centralized management entityfor performing a management function in a centralized manner does notexist. That is, the IBSS manages the non-AP STAs in a distributedmanner. In addition, in the IBSS, all STAs may consist of mobile STAs,and a self-contained network is configured since connection to the DS isnot allowed.

The STA is an arbitrary functional medium including a medium accesscontrol (MAC) and wireless-medium physical layer interface conforming tothe institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11standard, and includes both an AP and a non-AP STA in a broad sense. AVHT STA is defined as an STA that supports the super high-speed dataprocessing of 1 GHz or higher in the multi-channel environment to bedescribed below. In the VHT WLAN system to which the embodiment of thepresent invention is applicable, STAs included in the BSS may be all VHTSTAs, or a VHT STA and a legacy STA (i.e., IEEE 802.11n-based HT STA)may coexist.

The STA for wireless communication includes a processor and atransceiver, and also includes a user interface, a display means, etc.The processor is a functional unit devised to generate a frame to betransmitted through a wireless network or to process a frame receivedthrough the wireless network, and performs various functions to controlSTAs. The transceiver is functionally connected to the processor and isa unit devised to transmit and receive a frame for the STAs through thewireless network.

Among the STAs, non-AP STAs (i.e., STA1, STA3, STA4, STA6, STA7, andSTA8 are portable terminals operated by users. A non-AP STA may besimply referred to as an STA. The non-AP STA may also be referred to asa terminal, a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), a user equipment(UE), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal, a mobile subscriberunit, etc. A non-AP VHT-STA (or simply VHT STA) is defined as a non-APSTA that supports the super high-speed data processing of 1 GHz orhigher in the multi-channel environment to be described below.

The AP (i.e., AP1 and AP2) is a functional entity for providingconnection to the DS through a wireless medium for an associated STA.Although communication between non-AP STAs in an infrastructure BSSincluding the AP is performed via the AP in principle, the non-AP STAscan perform direct communication when a direct link is set up. Inaddition to the terminology of an access point, the AP may also bereferred to as a centralized controller, a base station (BS), a node-B,a base transceiver system (BTS), a site controller, etc. A VHT AP isdefined as an AP that supports the super high-speed data processing of 1GHz or higher in the multi-channel environment to be described below.

A plurality of infrastructure BSSs can be interconnected by the use ofthe DS. An extended service set (ESS) is a plurality of BSSs connectedby the use of the DS. STAs included in the ESS can communicate with oneanother. In the same ESS, a non-AP STA can move from one BSS to anotherBSS while performing seamless communication.

The DS is a mechanism whereby one AP communicates with another AP. Byusing the DS, an AP may transmit a frame for STAs associated with a BSSmanaged by the AP, or transmit a frame when any one of the STAs moves toanother BSS, or transmit a frame to an external network such as a wirednetwork. The DS is not necessarily a network, and has no limitation inits format as long as a specific distribution service specified in theIEEE 802.11 can be provided. For example, the DS may be a wirelessnetwork such as a mesh network, or may be a physical construction forinterconnecting APs.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a spatial divisionmultiple access (SDMA)-based VHT WLAN system. Herein, an infrastructureVHT BSS is used. The SDMA-based VHT WLAN system indicates a VHT WLANsystem which uses an SDMA scheme as a multiple access scheme. Referringto FIG. 2, a VHT AP supporting the SDMA employs a plurality of physical(PHY) interfaces, for example, 3 PHY interfaces. The 3 PHY interfacescan provide 3 concurrent spatial streams. On the other hand, a non-APVHT STA (hereinafter, referred to a ‘VHT STA’) has one PHY interface.Each PHY interface can support up to 4×4 MIMO.

In the SDMA-based VHT WLAN system shown in FIG. 2, in order for the VHTAP to concurrently provide spatial streams to a plurality of VHT STAs,the VHT STA must know channel characteristics for these VHT STAs.Therefore, in the SDMA-based VHT WLAN system, the VHT AP requires achannel estimation mechanism for each VHT STA.

As one method of estimating a channel for each of a plurality of VHTSTAs which concurrently receive downlink (DL) streams from the VHT AP ortransmit uplink (UL) streams according to the SDMA scheme, a sequentialchannel estimation procedure can be taken into account. According to thesequential channel estimation procedure, the VHT AP exchanges a requestmessage and a response message for channel estimation sequentially toeach VHT STA which is a target of DL/UL transmission. The requestmessage and the response message can be transmitted through a fullchannel bandwidth of a system. Hereinafter, the sequential channelestimation procedure will be described in greater detail.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a sequential channelestimation procedure in a VHT WLAN system. In the sequential channelestimation procedure of FIG. 3, the VHT WLAN system uses an 80 MHzchannel bandwidth and employs 4 VHT STAs which concurrently receive DLstreams. Referring to FIG. 3, the VHT AP sequentially exchanges arequest to send (RTS) frame and a clear to send (CTS) frame which are arequest message and a response message for channel estimation through afull bandwidth of 80 MHz with respect to an STA1, an STA2, an STA3, andan STA4.

The sequential channel estimation procedure can be effective forestimation of channel characteristics of VHT STAs which concurrentlyaccess on the basis of the SDMA. However, the sequential channelestimation procedure has a disadvantage in that overhead is great. Thatis, when using the sequential channel estimation procedure, the VHT APhas to exchange the RTS frame and the CTS frame by the number of STAslocated in the same space, and thus a signal processing amount may alsoincrease to that extent. In addition thereto, a time required for thesequential channel estimation procedure may also increase according tothe number of STAs, and thus if the number of STAs is great, more timeis assigned for the channel estimation procedure, thereby decreasing atime that can be used for actual data transmission. Therefore, althoughthe aforementioned sequential channel estimation procedure can be usedas the channel estimation procedure in the VHT WLAN system, a certainlimitation exists in this case.

As one method for compensating for the disadvantage of the sequentialchannel estimation procedure, the embodiment of the present inventionproposes a parallel channel estimation procedure. The term ‘parallelchannel estimation procedure’ is for exemplary purposes only. Accordingto the parallel channel estimation procedure, the VHT AP transmits arequest message for channel estimation to each VHT STA, which is atarget of DL transmission, in a broadcast or multicast manner. Uponreceiving the request message, the VHT STAs transmit a response messageto the VHT AP through each sub-channel in a unicast manner. In thiscase, the request message may include information indicating asub-channel to be used when each VHT STA transmits the response message.The VHT STA may transmit the response message to the VHT AP through asub-channel included in the request message.

For example, in case of a VHT WLAN system using an 80 MHz channelbandwidth, 4 sub-channels each having a 20 MHz channel bandwidth can beused. In addition, if it is assumed that 4 beamforming antennas aresupported by the VHT AP, the number of DL transmission concurrentlysupported is 4. If a VHT STA which is a target of DL transmission is theSTA1, the STA2, the STA3, and the STA4, then a sub-channel 1, asub-channel 2, a sub-channel 3, and a sub-channel 4 can be respectivelyallocated to the STA1, the STA2, the STA3, and the STA4 for example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a parallel channel estimationprocedure in a VHT WLAN system. In the example of the parallel channelestimation procedure shown in FIG. 4, the VHT WLAN system uses an 80 MHzchannel bandwidth and has 4 VHT STAs concurrently receiving DL streams.Referring to FIG. 4, a VHT AP broadcasts a ‘request message’ for channelestimation through a full bandwidth of 80 MHz for all of an STA1, anSTA2, an STA3, and an STA4. Each STA performs channel estimation byusing the received request message, and thereafter transmits a ‘responsemessage’ including channel estimation information to the VHT AP. In thiscase, the response message may be transmitted through a sub-channelhaving a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz, and each STA uses a differentsub-channel. In order for each STA to be able to use the differentsub-channel, together with information on an STA which is a target ofchannel estimation, the request message includes information on asub-channel to be used when the STA transmits the response message.

In FIG. 4, an RTS frame and a CTS frame are used as a request messagefor channel estimation and a response message thereof. However, thepresent embodiment is not limited thereto, and thus in addition to apair of the CTS frame and the RTS frame, a pair of a null data frame andan ACK frame, a pair of a channel estimation request frame and a channelestimation response frame, or the like can be used as a pair of therequest message and the response message.

As described above, the request message (i.e., the RTS frame, the nulldata frame, the channel estimation request frame, or the like) accordingto the embodiment of the present invention includes information on anSTA which is a target of channel estimation and information regarding asub-channel to be used when each STA transmits a response message. Suchinformation may be added as a new information element (IE) to theexisting frame or may be added as a new field, and there is noparticular restriction on the adding mechanism. Hereinafter, anexemplary format of a ‘channel estimation request frame’ and a ‘channelestimation response frame’ will be described as an example of a frameincluding the aforementioned information. Another frame (e.g., anRTS/CTS frame or a null data/ACK frame) can have a format in whichessential information or fields are added to the existing format, anddescription thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a format of a channel estimation requestframe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the channel estimation request frame includes anaction category field, an action value field, a channel estimationinitiator field, a channel estimation duration field, and a channelestimation recipient set information element (IE) field. The actioncategory field may be set to a value indicating a category of an actionto which a channel estimation response frame belongs, for example, amanagement action category. The action value field may be set to aspecific value indicating a ‘channel estimation response’ action. Thechannel estimation initiator field is set to an address of an STA fortransmitting the channel estimation request frame. The channelestimation duration field is set to a value indicating a duration of achannel estimation sequence.

In addition, together with an address of an STA requiring channelestimation for DL transmission through the channel estimation requestframe or an STA that must transmit the channel estimation responseframe, the channel estimation recipient set IE field may be set to avalue indicating a sub-channel to be used when the STA must transmit thechannel estimation response frame.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an exemplary format of a channel estimationrecipient set IE. Referring to FIG. 6, the channel estimation recipientset IE may include an element identifier (ID) field, a length field, achannel estimation recipient field, and a feedback channel field. Theelement ID field is set to a specific value indicating the channelestimation recipient set IE. The length field is set to a valueindicating the length of subsequent fields (i.e., the channel estimationrecipient field and the feedback channel field). The channel estimationrecipient field includes a value for specifying an STA that becomes atarget of DL transmission and thus has to transmit the channelestimation response frame, for example, address information of the STA.The feedback channel field is set to a value indicating a sub-channel tobe used when the STA specified in the channel estimation recipient fieldtransmits the channel estimation response frame.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a format of a channel estimation responseframe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the channel estimation response frame includes anaction category field, an action value field, a channel estimationinitiator field, a channel estimation recipient field, and a channelstate information report field. The action category field may be set toa value indicating a category of an action to which a channel estimationresponse frame belongs, for example, a management action category. Theaction value field may be set to a specific value indicating a ‘channelestimation response’ action. In addition, the channel estimationinitiator field may be set to an address of an STA for transmitting thechannel estimation request frame, that is, a value set to the channelestimation initiator field of the received channel estimation requestframe. In addition, the channel estimation recipient field is set to anaddress of an STA for transmitting the channel estimation responseframe, that is, an address of an STA that generates a channel estimationvalue included in the subsequent channel state information report field.The channel state information report field is set to the channelestimation value.

Now, an SDMA procedure in a VHT WLAN system which uses channelinformation obtained through the aforementioned sequential channelestimation procedure and/or parallel channel estimation procedure willbe described.

As described above, the VHT WLAN system uses a wideband channel having abandwidth of 80 MHz or higher. The wideband channel can be split into aplurality of sub-channels having the same or different bandwidths (e.g.,20 MHz). Several methods are proposed as a method of using the widebandchannel in the VHT WLAN system.

FIG. 8 shows an example of several methods using an 80 MHz channel. AVHT WLAN system may use any one of methods described below or acombination of several methods. Alternatively, different methods can beused in DL and UL scenarios.

FIG. 8(a) shows a channel bonding scheme. According to the channelbonding scheme, one STA uses a full wideband channel. That is, a set ofsub-channels is used as a single wideband. However, as explained in theaforementioned channel estimation procedure, the channel bonding channelshown in FIG. 8(a) may cause a relatively great overhead. In addition,FIG. 8(b) shows a channel aggregation scheme. According to this scheme,a plurality of sub-channels can be used independently by one STA. Inthis case, the STA can concurrently transmit a plurality of frames, andeach frame is transmitted through a different sub-channel. In FIG. 8(a)and FIG. 8(b), MCS denotes a modulation and coding scheme. On the otherhand, FIG. 8(c) shows a frequency division multiplex (FDM) scheme. Inthis case, several STAs can concurrently transmit frames throughdifferent sub-channels.

In the SDMA procedure of VHT WLAN system according to an embodiment ofthe present invention, the SDMA scheme is combined to the FDM scheme ofFIG. 8(c) when performing UL or DL data transmission. However,contention-based carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance(CSMA/CA) is premised in IEEE 802.11 MAC. Therefore, thecontention-based mechanism has to be considered to combine SDMA and FDMfor use in the WLAN system. In addition, in order for a VHT AP tosuccessfully receive frames transmitted by a plurality of STAs, ULtransmission must to be synchronized between STAs which use differentsub-channels.

For this, in the SDMA procedure according to the embodiment of thepresent invention in the VHT WLAN system, a WLAN operation time can bedivided into a contention mode and, optionally, a contention-free mode.Whether to include the contention-free mode is not particularlyrestricted in the embodiment of the present invention, and thus maydiffer depending on a protocol of the VHT WLAN system. As describedbelow, in the contention-free mode, the VHT AP schedules UL transmissionand DL transmission on the basis of a specific criterion. In a methodthat can be used in the contention-free mode, scheduling information onUL transmission and DL transmission can be transmitted by the VHT AP byusing the same polling as that of a power save multi-poll (PSMP)sequence.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the contentionmode is divided into contention periods and data transmission periodsthat follow the contention periods. In the contention periods, the VHTAP and one or more VHT STAs contend to obtain a channel by using theCSMA/CA procedure performed in a full wideband channel (e.g., an 80 MHzchannel). If the VHT AP wins in this competition, a DL phase starts. Ifthe VHT STA wins, a UL phase starts.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary procedure in a DL phase duringan SDMA procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 9, the DL phase includes a channel estimation periodand a data transmission period. Herein, the channel estimation period isan arbitrary period.

In the channel estimation period, the VHT AP exchanges an RTS/CTS frameor exchanges a null data/ACK frame or a channel estimationrequest/response frame with one or more VHT STAs of which a channelcharacteristic needs to be estimated and which has data to betransmitted. Thus, the VHT AP estimates a channel characteristic of eachVHT STA on the basis of the aforementioned channel estimation procedure(e.g., the parallel channel estimation procedure and/or the sequentialchannel estimation procedure) according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

After the completion of the channel estimation, the VHT AP transmitssub-channel information (e.g., frequency allocation information)allocated for DL transmission to each VHT STA together with informationon VHT STAs (e.g., a list of VHT STAs) for transmitting data in thesubsequent data transmission period. If the VHT AP transmits data havinga group address to the VHT STAs, then sub-channel information (e.g.,frequency allocation information) allocated for DL transmission to thegroup address together with group address information is transmitted toVHT STAs subscribed to the group address. Such information can betransmitted by using a DL-MAP frame, and the term is for exemplarypurposes only.

Upon the completion of the channel estimation period by transmission ofthe DL-MAP frame, the data transmission period starts. In the datatransmission period, data (i.e., SDMA/FDM data) starts to be transmittedconcurrently to a plurality of VHT STAs by using the SDMA/FDM scheme.According to the SDMA/FDM scheme, the VHT AP divides (in an FDM manner)a full frequency band (e.g., an 80 MHz channel) into two or moresub-channels. The VHT AP transmits data concurrently to the plurality ofVHT STAs by using the SDMA scheme independently in each sub-channel.

When using unicast transmission other than multicast transmission orbroadcast transmission, an STA which receives a data frame needs totransmit an ACK frame to a transmitting STA. Therefore, when the VHT APtransmits DL data to several VHT STAs by using the SDMA scheme, each VHTSTA responds to the VHT AP by sending the ACK frame. A time required foreach VHT STA to transmit the ACK frame can be scheduled by the VHT AP.

The VHT AP can allow VHT STAs, which concurrently receive data, to havethe same data transmission time. In order to allow a transmission timeto be the same for all data frames transmitted by the SDMA scheme, theVHT AP can use an aggregation technique or a MAC service data unit(MSDU) fragmentation technique conforming to the IEEE 802.11 WLANstandard. Alternatively, according to data to be transmitted to a VHTSTA having a longest data transmission time, the VHT AP can allow a dataframe, which is to be transmitted to another VHT STA, to have the sametransmission time by inserting zero (i.e., zero padding technique). Uponthe completion of data transmission, VHT STAs which receive the datatransmit the ACK frame (indicated by ACKs in the figure) to the VHT APthrough the same channel.

The MSDU fragmentation technique/aggregation technique or the zeropadding technique can be usefully utilized when DL traffic to betransmitted to receiving VHT STAs is not constant between the VHT STAs.Therefore, such techniques enable concurrent data frame transmissionthrough different channels by using an aggregate-physical layerconvergence procedure protocol data unit (A-PPDU) or A-MPDU.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing concurrent data transmission to a pluralityof VHT STAs on the basis of an SDMA/FDM scheme according to anembodiment of the present invention. The diagram of FIG. 10 shows anexample in which a VHT AP transmits 4 SDMA streams through one channelwhile transmitting data concurrently to 6 VHT STAs. In FIG. 10, it canbe seen that a 40 MHz channel is allocated for data transmission to the4 VHT STAs (e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA)) since they areterminals which have relatively small data traffic to be transmitted orwhich support only 40 MHz, and an 80 MHz channel is allocated for datatransmission to the remaining 2 VHT STAs (e.g., a laptop computer) sincedata traffic to be transmitted is relatively great.

As shown in the example of FIG. 10, if the SDMA/FDM scheme according tothe embodiment of the present invention is used as a multiple accessscheme, the VHT AP can effectively allocate a spatial/frequency resourceby considering an amount of data which is being buffered for each VHTSTA or QoS delay requirements. Therefore, by using the embodiment of thepresent invention, a channel having a wideband (i.e., 80 MHz or higher)can be optimally utilized, and the QoS delay requirements can besatisfied.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an exemplary procedure in a UL phase duringan SDMA procedure according to an embodiment of the present invention.Referring to FIG. 11, the UL phase includes a contention period and adata transmission period.

In the contention period of the UL phase, a VHT AP receives an accessrequest from VHT STAs. There is no particular restriction on a messagethat can be used by the VHT STA for the access request for ULtransmission. However, the message may include information indicating anamount (i.e., a queue size) of data being buffered by the VHT STA whichtransmits the message. The amount of buffering data is provided for usewhen a spatial/frequency resource is allocated to each VHT STA whichtransmits the access request according to the SDMA/FDM scheme.

For example, the VHT STA may request a UL access by transmitting a nulldata frame or a QoS null frame to the VHT AP. Upon receiving the QoSnull frame from the VHT STA, the VHT AP estimates a channelcharacteristic for the VHT STA by using the received frame, and alsotransmits an ACK frame in response thereto. Although it is shown in theprocedure of FIG. 11 that the VHT AP sequentially exchanges the QoS nullframe and the ACK frame of a VHT STA1, a VHT STA2, a VHT STA4, and a VHTSTA3 during a contention period, such an order is for exemplary purposesonly.

In addition, by considering an amount of buffering data, for each VHTSTA, included in the QoS null frame received from a plurality of VHTSTAs, the VHT AP allocates a spatial and frequency resource to each VHTSTA so as to achieve optimal efficiency. Of course, a location of theVHT STA needs to be taken into account when allocating the spatialresource. Allocation of the spatial and frequency resource can startwhen the received access request is enough to reach optimalspatial/frequency allocation or reaches a limited UL contention time.

In addition, the VHT AP generates a message including information onspatial and frequency resources allocated to each VHT STA. The messagemay be a UL-MAP, and the term is for exemplary purposes only. Inaddition, after a last ACK frame is transmitted, the VHT AP transmits agenerated UL-MAP frame to the VHT STAs. A specific frame interval (e.g.,a short inter frame space (SIFS) or a point inter frame space (PIFS))may exist between transmissions of the last ACK frame and the UL-MAPframe. The UL-MAP frame can be transmitted in a broadcast manner. Whenthe UL-MAP frame is broadcast, the contention period of the UL phaseends.

The UL-MAP frame may include the following information. First, theUL-MAP frame may include information indicating a duration of a datatransmission period. The UL-MAP frame may include information (e.g., aVHT STA list) on a VHT STA for which UL transmission is allowed in thedata transmission period, and may include information on frequencyallocated to each VHT STA. In addition, according to an embodiment, theUL-MAP frame may also include information on data transmission in awaiting status. The data transmission in the waiting status indicates atransmission opportunity in the subsequent data transmission period evenif the QoS null frame and the ACK frame are exchanged in the contentionperiod, that is, indicates UL transmission for a VHT STA to which nofrequency is allocated. The data transmission in the waiting status mayinclude information on frequency allocated in a data transmission periodof a next UL phase. In this case, the VHT STA may not need to transmitthe QoS null frame again to the VHT AP in order to obtain a ULtransmission opportunity.

If the contention period ends by transmission of the UL-MAP frame, a ULdata transmission period starts. As soon as the UL-MAP frame isreceived, VHT STAs for which UL transmission is allocated transmit dataconcurrently through a channel of an allocated frequency by using theMSDU aggregation technique or the fragmentation technique or the zeropadding technique. That is, the VHT STAs concurrently transmit dataframes to the VHT AP by using the SDMA/FDM scheme. Herein, the VHT STAuses the MSDU aggregation technique so that a frame to be transmittedsatisfies QoS requirements or can be completely transmitted within aduration of UL transmission indicated by the UL-MAP frame. In addition,after receiving data from the VHT STAs, the VHT AP transmits the ACKframe to the VHT STAs by using the same spatial/frequency resource.

Meanwhile, according to an aspect of the embodiment of the presentinvention, after the end of a DL phase and a UL phase, the VHT AP canswitch to a contention-free mode, that is, a multi-channel power savemulti-poll (PSMP) mode. The switching to the contention-free mode can beachieved by considering QoS requirements or an amount of data which isbeing buffered for VHT STAs. That is, if it is determined that thespatial/frequency resource is more effectively allocated in thecontention-free mode in comparison with the contention mode according tothe QoS requirements or the amount of data being buffered, then thespatial/frequency resource for DL/UL transmission of VHT STAs can beallocated in the contention-free mode rather than the contention modeaccording to the aforementioned embodiment of the present inventionduring a specific time period.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a wireless communication system forimplementing an embodiment of the present invention. A UE 910 includes aprocessor 912, a display unit 913, and a radio frequency (RF) unit 915.In the aforementioned embodiment, an operation of an MS can beimplemented by the processor 912. The display unit 913 is coupled to theprocessor 912, and displays a variety of information to a user. Thedisplay unit 193 can use well-known elements such as a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), etc. The RF unit915 is coupled to the processor 912, and transmits and receives a radiosignal.

A BS 930 includes a processor 932 and an RF unit 935. The RF unit 935transmits and receives a radio signal. In the aforementioned embodiment,an operation of the BS or a femto cell can be implemented by theprocessor 932.

The processors 912 and 932 may include an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a separate chipset, a logic circuit, and/or adata processing unit. The memories 915 and 935 may include a base-bandcircuit for processing a radio signal. When the embodiment of thepresent invention is implemented in software, the aforementioned methodscan be implemented with a module (i.e., process, function, etc.) forperforming the aforementioned functions. The module can be executed bythe processors 912 and 932.

Although a series of steps or blocks of a flowchart are described in aparticular order when performing methods in the aforementioned exemplarysystem, the steps of the present invention are not limited thereto.Thus, some of these steps may be performed in a different order or maybe concurrently performed. Those skilled in the art will understand thatthese steps of the flowchart are not exclusive, and that another stepcan be included therein or one or more steps can be omitted withouthaving an effect on the scope of the present invention.

Various modifications may be made in the aforementioned embodiments.Although all possible combinations of the various modifications of theembodiments cannot be described, those ordinary skilled in that art willunderstand possibility of other combinations. Therefore, the presentinvention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown hereinbut is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principlesand novel features disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of transmitting data in a wireless localaccess network, the method comprising: transmitting, by an access point,a downlink management frame to a plurality of recipients, the downlinkmanagement frame including information about a group address indicatinga station group to which the plurality of recipients belongs;transmitting, by the access point, a data frame to the plurality ofrecipients, the data frame including the group address and a pluralityof Aggregate-Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol Data Units (A-MPDUs)for the plurality of recipients, wherein each of the plurality ofA-MPDUs includes at least one MPDU for a corresponding one of theplurality of recipients, and wherein each of the plurality of A-MPDUsfurther includes zero or more padding bits so that all of the pluralityof A-MPDUs have the same transmission time corresponding to atransmission time of a longest A-MPDU among the plurality of A-MPDUs. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink management frame furtherincludes allocation information indicating a position for acorresponding one of the plurality of recipients within the stationgroup.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data frame is a Physicallayer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU).
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, by the access point, an acknowledgement for atleast one of the plurality of A-MPDUs from at least one of the pluralityof recipients.
 5. A device for transmitting data in a wireless localaccess network, the device comprising: a radio frequency unit configuredto receive and transmit radio signals; and a processor coupled with theradio frequency unit and configured to: control the radio frequency unitto transmit a downlink management frame to a plurality of recipients,the downlink management frame including information about a groupaddress indicating a station group to which the plurality of recipientsbelongs; control the radio frequency unit to transmit a data frame tothe plurality of recipients, the data frame including the group addressand a plurality of Aggregate-Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocol DataUnits (A-MPDUs) for the plurality of recipients, wherein each of theplurality of A-MPDUs includes at least one MPDU for a corresponding oneof the plurality of recipients, and wherein each of the plurality ofA-MPDUs further includes zero or more padding bits so that all of theplurality of A-MPDUs have the same transmission time corresponding to atransmission time of a longest A-MPDU among the plurality of A-MPDUs. 6.The device of claim 5, wherein the downlink management frame furtherincludes allocation information indicating a position for acorresponding one of the plurality of recipients within the stationgroup.
 7. The device of claim 5, wherein the data frame is a Physicallayer Protocol Data Unit (PPDU).
 8. The device of claim 5, wherein theprocessor is configured to: control the radio frequency unit to receivean acknowledgement for at least one of the plurality of A-MPDUs from atleast one of the plurality of recipients.